Judge hits 58th homer, within three of AL record

MILWAUKEE — Aaron Judge hit the 58th home run of his magical season Sunday afternoon, blasting an opposite-field, second-deck shot against the Milwaukee Brewers and leaving himself three short of tying the American League single-season record.

In his second at-bat, Judge took a 92 mph Jason Alexander sinker that leaked over the plate and deposited it 414 feet away in the right-field stands. It was his first home run since hitting a pair against the Boston Red Sox on Thursday, and it moved Judge into a tie for 11th place on the single-season home run list with Jimmie Foxx in 1932, Hank Greenberg in 1938, Mark McGwire in 1997 and Ryan Howard in 2006.

With 16 games remaining, Judge has ample time to become only the third AL player to reach 60 home runs. Babe Ruth first did so in 1927, and Roger Maris broke his record — and for nearly four decades held the major league mark — with 61 in 1961.

The 30-year-old Judge, the AL MVP favorite who could win both the Triple Crown and lead the league in all three triple-slash categories, has carried the Yankees amid injuries that saw their once-mighty division lead whittled. New York entered Sunday’s game ahead of the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East by 4½ games.

On the season, Judge is hitting .312/.416/.692 with 58 home runs, 124 RBIs and 16 stolen bases while spending a majority of his games playing center field regularly for the first time. He is set to reach free agency this winter and is expected to command a contract worth more than $300 million.